By FRANKLIN Q. DE GUZMAN
Archdiocesan Social Action Apostolate Lingayen-Dagupan
DAGUPAN CITY.—Three days before the start of the campaign period for local positions, some 50 political candidates in Pangasinan signed on Tuesday a covenant to ensure an “orderly, clean, honest, accurate, meaningful and peaceful (OCHAMP)” elections in May.
Among those who signed the covenant was former Armed Forces Chief of Staff Hermogenes Esperon who is running for a congressional seat in the sixth district.
Other signatories were Rep. Rachel Arenas of the third district and Gov. Amado Espino, both running for re-election, and representatives from the Commission on Elections and the Philippine National Police, who signed the covenant as witnesses.
Archbishop Socrates Villegas of the Archdiocese of Lingayen-Dagupan (ALD), Provincial Election Officer Reddy C. Balarbar and Supt. Percival G. Barba, director of Pangasinan Provincial Police Office, also witnessed the event. The signing was held at the Lay Formation Center of the ALD in Bonuan Gueset, Dagupan City.
Former Philippine National Police NCRPO chief Leopoldo Bataoil, who is running for Congress in the second district, was unable to make it in time for the covenant signing.
Villegas gave a simple spiritual recollection to the candidates centered on being Christ-like and said mass before the signing ceremonies. During his homily, he urged the candidates to be faithful to the peace covenant they were about to sign.
“Put your conscience on it. Put God on it. For if not, it will just be a palabas (show),” he said.
The recollection, holy mass and peace covenant signing was a joint event of the Pangasinan PPO, Pangasinan Comelec and Archdiocesan Social Action Apostolate (ASAP) of ALD.
Last March 8, candidates in Dagupan City also signed a peace convenant, but Villegas had suggested another signing ceremony after the candidates have undergone a “spiritual retreat.” Earlier, candidates in Tayug and Binalonan signed similar covenants.
Dagupan, Tagug and Binalonan appear in the PNP’s watch list as potential hot spots.